Abyss That is Night
by Meirou
Summary: ~one*shot set before season s~ Serena acquires a new look on her destiny--mainly discarding it. Leaving a broken man in the depths of shadows, she dismisses her gift to seek out a true fulfillment.


I do not own Sailor Moon. This was posted quite a while back, but I've decided to fix it up a bit. Enjoy the new spin!  
  
~ONE SHOT (that means no more chapters) Set before Season S~  
  
"Abyss That is Night"  
  


"There's something we need to talk about," Serena spoke softly, carefully avoiding Darien's gaze. She wouldn't dare meet his eyes...she couldn't--not with what she was about to tell him.   
  
Her fingers curled over the edge of the bench uneasily, as her legs were drawn in close even as they dangled over the side. The moonlight that showered down from above washed over their bodies gently, casting ghost-like silhouettes onto the lawn of the park.   
  
"What's going on, Serena?" Darien replied, curious. Her body language spoke louder than anything. For when he reached out to her, the odangoed one simply moved out of reach. "Serena?"  
  
They sat side by side, but it seemed as if they were miles apart. Something had snapped within her; Serena's eyes conveyed a sadness Darien had never before seen. Their eyes soon fell onto the crystal pond that was situated before them, sparkling beneath the moon. Even then the young blonde could envision the two of them rowing across in a boat. It was a memory she forced herself to supress.   
  
"There's no easy way to say this, Darien. I have been thinking long and hard about this..." The dark haired man suddenly swivled on the bench, cupping her cheek in his hand and tilting her chin so that their gazes met.   
  
"Tell me--you can tell me anything, Serena. Because I love you," he whispered. She stood up quickly, a tiny tear escaping from the corner of her eye.  
  
"Please," she whispered shrilly, dropping her now-fisted hands to her sides. "Don't."   
  
A look of confusion and fear overcame Darien's features as he quickly got to his feet. "What are you hiding?" he inquired, dark eyes and tone serious. Suddenly angered and feeling betrayed, Serena's now cold gaze shot up and locked with his.   
  
"Nothing," she replied, her voice low with a hint of disgust.   
  
"Then why are you acting this way...forcing me away...I can't even touch or look at you without seeing you flinch!" the midnight haired man continued, "I almost wonder if you've been faithful."   
  
An expression of pure horror settled onto Serena's face as his cheek met her hand with a harsh slap. "I have never betrayed you in such a disgusting manner! How could you ever think that?" Recoiling with a hand to his reddened cheek, Darien stepped back, eyes full of shame.   
  
"I'm sorry, Sere. I didn't mean it...I just...I don't know anymore. I just want you to tell me what's going on. You're not acting at all like yourself--it's scaring me," Darien spoke quietly, wincing. A thick silence settled between them, and even the park and world surrounding them seemed immediately hushed.   
  
"I'm leaving Tokyo," Serena spoke icily, looking away. The golden ponytails that streamed from odangoes now swayed behind her on an unfelt wind. And at this moment, shock found its way into the man's eyes.  
  
"Leaving? Serena...why? Y-you can't leave!" came his choked reply. Ignoring his throbbing cheek, his hands reached out to grasp onto her arms.   
  
"I have to! Don't you see? From the day I realized what 'Moon Prism Power' could truly do, I lost a part of me I thought I'd _never_ get back. I am 17 years old, Darien, and I have spent the past four years protecting this universe from countless sespools of evil and unimaginable power. I have to leave...because if I don't, I may never know."   
  
"What are you talking about?!" Darien shouted becoming frustrated. "You're leaving because you're stressed out? Is that it?"   
  
"Listen to me," she answered placidly, as if her true being had been enveloped in a distant world. It seemed he was losing her. W"hen I accepted this destiny...as Sailor Moon, the Moon Princess...future Queen of the Moon...I lost a big part of me. Everything I did was encompassed by the feeling of loss and obligation. Even in times of great happiness I wanted to run away for I knew it that it would not last and that the turmoil would soon begin again. There's something out _there_, waiting for me. And I feel like if I don't go out and search for what it is that's calling me....I'll never be happy." Her voice soon died as a few tears burst forth.   
  
She couldn't truly want this--could she?   
  
"I love you Serena. If you leave then everything will be altered. Our future together, the battles to come...Serena! If you leave...Rini won't exist!" Darien protested taking her hands and standing beside her.   
  
"And that's a loss? I'm sorry!" she exclaimed darkly. "But I can't stay here. I have to see what is out there, Darien! I have waited for my chance and now it has finally come!" Darien ripped his arms away, glaring at her in disgust.   
  
"You're not Serenity, are you? You can't be my Serena...you're too selfish, too hateful!" the man countered, hoping such a turn of emotions would catch her off guard.   
  
But his hopes were in vain.  
  
"You're right, Darien. I'm not," Serena replied simply, her gaze intent. She willed him to understand. "I'm not who you want...I can't be who you want me to be."   
  
"Serena!" Darien suddenly cried, a few tears tumbling down his face.   
  
"I'm sorry," she murmured. With a violent rip, she removed her moon broach from the bow upon the chest of uniform. "I hereby give up my right to the throne...no longer shall I bear the gift of the Moon, nor will I wield it's great powers." With a harsh pitch, Serena launched her broach towards the lake, blonde hair flying out behind her. Immediately, a cry of horror echoed from Darien's throat as he sped off. The shining luster of the broach quickly faded as it sank to the bottom of the lake; Darien, however, dove in after it. Disappearing quickly beneath the surface, Darien was determined to retrieve it.  
  
Was she insane? Was it him?  
  
After a few moments, Serena closed her eyes and bowed to the lake. "I thank you for everything you have bestowed upon me." Darien, still set on finding the broach, surfaced several times before giving up and crawling onto the shore, exhausted.   
  
"Serena! Don't do this! We fought so hard to maintain our future...and now you're going to throw it away?" he shouted, eyes filled with pain.   
  
The broach was gone forever. It was lost in the great lake which now only held the waters of sorrow.  
  
"Why?! Why?! Why Serena!? What has caused you to do this?" Darien sputtered as he fell to his knees, sopping wet. Serena turned away silently.  
  
"Darien...I-   
  
Before she could finish, a rough grip violently took hold of her, spinning her about like a top. Before she had a chance to realize what was happening, Darien pressed his lips against hers, forcing his kiss upon her. He fought to hold her there, in his arms, their lips pressed to one another. But she ripped herself away and stepped back a few feet.   
  
"No," she spat, eyes full of hate and anger as she glared at him. A sudden pang of fear and insecurity sounded within Darien's heart. What had happened to her?  
  
"Serena-   
  
Within seconds, she had spung on her heels and sped off like a burst of light--into the darkness.   
  
Now Darien was left entirely alone as the water dripped from his clothing, pattering on the ground. He sat down, completely shell-shocked and not knowing what to do next. His eyes saw but did not see, his heard but did not hear. He his beat, but he was dead. _She _ripped it out of his chest and ran with it...  
  
The moon had become increasingly dimmer since Serena had left. And as if on cue, a black cloud appeared out of no where and approached the ever fading moon.   
  
"Serena..." Darien closed his eyes, burying his face in his hands as rivers of tears were released from his eyes. He clenched his fists and opened his eyes to gaze at the lake once more. The last light of the moon glowed faintly and Darien stood to leave.  
  
Just as he turned away, the last beams of light shone over the Moon Broach that was now resting, half-sunken, in the sand of the shore surrounding the lake. It glinted dimly, a mere two feet from his desperate grasp..  
  
Darien almost-drunkenly staggered off into the abyss of darkness that was night, not realizing he had just sealed the fate of not only himself and his beloved but also the entire universe.  
  
The black cloud now quelled the moonlight, victorious in its dark quest.   
  
  
  
  
  
  



End file.
